Effect of neutral mutation on HIV-1 drug resistance in highly active antiretroviral therapy

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) drug resistance is a grave problem in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and neutral mutation is an important factor in the evolution of HIV-1. We consider the process of HIV-1 quasi species transition in HAART to be transformation among three viral phenotypes: wild-type HIV-1, neutral-type HIV-1 and resistant-type HIV-1. A new model is proposed to study the transition dynamics of resistant-type HIV-1 induced by neutral mutation. The colonized time, the stable time and the stable size of the resistant species are simulated with the model. The results indicate that neutral mutation is closely related to the colonized pattern of resistant-type HIV-1 quasi species which may lead to important strategies for predicting or checking HIV-1 drug resistance. © 2011 Academic Journals.